Irineu Evangelista de Sousa, Viscount of Mauá
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Irineu Evangelista de Sousa | |
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![]() Irineu Evangelista de Sousa, c.1872 | |
Born | |
Died | 21 October 1889 | (aged 76)
Occupation | Business magnate; investor |
![200 Réis de 1937 (verso).png](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/200_R%C3%A9is_de_1937_%28verso%29.png/100px-200_R%C3%A9is_de_1937_%28verso%29.png)
![200 Réis de 1937.png](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/37/200_R%C3%A9is_de_1937.png/100px-200_R%C3%A9is_de_1937.png)
Irineu Evangelista de Sousa (Portuguese pronunciation: [iɾiˈnew ivɐ̃ʒeˈliʃtɐ dʒi ˈsowzɐ]), the Viscount of Mauá ([viʃˈkõdʒi dʒi mɐwˈa], 1813–1889) was a Brazilian entrepreneur, industrialist, banker and politician. Born to a family of small estancieiros (ranchers), Sousa became one of the world's richest men; by 1867, his wealth was larger than the annual budget of the Brazilian Empire. He was called the Rothschild of the South American continent by the New York Times in 1871.[1] He received the titles of baron (1854) and visconde com grandeza (viscount with greatness) (1874) of Mauá. A pioneer in several areas of the economy of Brazil, one of his greatest achievements was to start the construction of the , the first railroad in Brazil.
At his peak, Sousa controlled eight of the country's ten largest companies (the remaining two were state-owned); his banking interests stretched over to Britain, France, the United States and Argentina. Mauá also founded the first bank in Uruguay (Banco Mauá Y Cia).
Sousa, who established the modern Banco do Brasil, is credited with financing much of the Brazilian economy activity in the 19th century, particularly in coffee plantation, and with the construction of the first railroads, shipyard and cast iron metalwork in the country. Sousa commissioned the first telegraphic submarine cable connecting South America to Europe, developed commercial transportation via steamboats on rivers Amazon and Guaíba, and installed the first gas-fueled street lights in the city of Rio de Janeiro, then Brazil's capital. His fortunes turned around with the decay of the Empire after the Paraguayan War, however, and, by the time he died, Sousa had lost most of his wealth.
Legacy and honors[]
At a time in which Brazil was dominated by government-protected landowners who prioritized exports in a slave-based economy, Sousa defended free enterprise, liberalism, industrialization and the abolition of slavery. After his death, he was given several honors and acknowledgements:
- He is the patron of the Ministry of Transport
- The city of Visconde de Mauá is named after him
- The Baron of Mauá International Bridge links the city of Jaguarão, Rio Grande do Sul with Río Branco, Uruguay
- The day celebrated to the merchant navy in Brazil is on Sousa's birthday, December 28th, due to his efforts ahead of the Ponta d'Areia shipyard.
Further reading[]
- Marchant, Anyda (1965). Viscount Mauá and the empire of Brazil: a biography of Irineu Evangelista de Sousa, 1813–1889. University of California Press.
References[]
- ^ "SOUTH AMERICA.; The Great Coffee Product of Brazil-- New-York Losing the Trade-- Brazilian Emancipation-- Railway Loans and Amazonian Navigation Contracts-- General News". New York Times. 22 August 1871. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
- Brazilian business biography stubs
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- 1813 births
- 1889 deaths
- 19th-century Brazilian people
- Brazilian businesspeople
- Brazilian politicians
- Brazilian nobility
- Uruguayan businesspeople